Not time enough, or information enough

In a legal notice, the Martha’s Vineyard Airport Commission asked for public comments “on a proposal that has been received from Mr. Jermaine Mendez to use a portion of Airport property as a recreational motorcycle riding area.” The commission’s land use subcommittee wants comments in writing by February 10, at 4 pm. Send your comment to Airport Manager, Martha’s Vineyard Airport, 71 Airport Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.

It strikes me that the short time frame and conditions for response, no apparent access for the public to the Mendez proposal, map, or description is newsworthy.

I want to be clear in stating we have no objection to such a facility being created. Our concern is with the means of access to this facility, and, depending on location, the possibility of noise.

These vehicles are not licensed for street use, so I would assume, from a legal standpoint, they would have to be transported to the facility. This is at the center of our concerns.

We are residents of Hopps Farm Road in West Tisbury, which abuts the State Forest. For years, we have endured the noise and witnessed the reckless and endangering behavior of riders of all ages using the adjacent bike path to enter the forest, in violation of Commonwealth regulations which clearly state that motorized vehicles are prohibited in the State Forest. There seems to be no enforcement of these regulations. We feel that an ironclad commitment to enforcement of these regulations by both the West Tisbury Police and the State Forest should be a precursor to consideration of this proposal.